Chapter 1: Page 55

This week, Hardin continues to make his case to the Ermehn tribe, but it’s clear the crowd isn’t entirely receptive, particularly our half-blind naysayer. Will Hardin convince the crowd to join his cause, or will they turn against him in a rage? Our victorious warrior will need quite the silver tongue to persuade this crowd to do anything, that’s for sure!

Clearly Hardin is a bit of a cynic when it comes to the current state of the Ermehn race – but he also clearly has a plan. Next week, we’ll learn even more of what he has to say!

Discussion (28) ¬

A great question, Gwen! An Ermehn would receive the tattoos on becoming a fully-fledged adult within the tribe. The tattoos symbolize the tribe itself, and to wear the tattoos means that the tribe considers that Ermehn worthy of upholding every aspect that makes that tribe unique. To wear a tribe’s tattoos is a heavy burden and suggests a lifetime of commitment to the betterment of that tribe. An adult Ermehn without tattoos, however, would not likely be trusted by their tattooed brethren – it suggests the individual never received their tattoos in the first place (meaning they could be without a tribe, either due to Canid purges or banishment) or they never had them re-applied (an annual tradition celebrated like a birthday).

Haha, well, do remember that while it’s a week between pages, this is all one continuous scene in-comic. Hardin is still addressing a hostile audience as well, so some continued security may not be a bad idea!

I am still very intrigued by Hardin’s band. It seems that for once, they’re all pretty serious… Contemplative, maybe. The Ermehn in the middle looks almost like she’s smiling, though while the other female looks like she’s actually quite worried. I’ve always noticed that those two are like two opposites on a spectrum, so I’m looking forward to seeing more group interaction between them. :)

If there’s only one per tribe, my guess is guardians are the equivalent of tribe chieftains? And perhaps the choice of guardian is simply left up to a less-than-lethal (or maybe not) challenge? The strongest takes it sorta thing.

An Ermehn guardian is, simply put, the most effective, strongest, and most capable Ermehn in the tribe. As the guardian’s death can result in the loss of the tribe’s whole identity due to hostile takeover, only the absolute best will become a guardian, and other Ermehn may very well die competing against one another for the role.

And yes, there is only one “official” guardian in each Ermehn tribe. The idea there being to keep inter-tribal conflict restricted to just one possible death, as opposed to a whole tribe’s-worth of warriors being put at risk.

Personally, I’m quite interested in Mr. Hood there between the two females. Clearly he’s one of Hardin’s more gung-ho followers, judging by his positive reaction to the guardian’s death a couple of pages ago. Is there a reason why we haven’t seen his eyes yet? Can’t wait to find out what the other three’s names are, in any case.

As brutal-sounding as Hardin is, he makes a good point, even if he did punctuate it with the slaughter of one of the tribe’s guardians. But judging by the main three other Ermehn’s reactions… well. It still doesn’t seem like it’s too appreciated. In the second panel, the expression of anger and horror on the far-left Ermehn’s face is particularly telling. I feel bad for all of the other tribe…

But speaking of tribes, since all of Hardin’s band have vastly different facial tattoos, I’m assuming he gathered each one from different tribes. Rathnik said just as much to Ashtor earlier. But does that mean that all of their tribes are allied with Hardin, or that his companions have left their families behind? It’s something to think about.

For the record: Alex hadn’t watched Doctor Who until after this line was already in the script. I also managed to miss the connection until it was brought up here. But it is an amusing coincidence, yes? X)

First, in this page Rachel somehow manages the impressive feat of showing an up-close shot of a character who’s just been killed by having his throat slit, and yet avoiding undue gore or graphic gruesomeness. Quite the achievement!

Secondly, even though Hardin is ostensibly the main villain of this tale, am I the only one who thinks he’s come across as fairly sympathetic in these past few pages? He’s certainly not any sort of raving warlord who immediately stands out as The Bad Guy. (Then again, I know a thing or two about stoic, self-assured warlords who turn the lands on their heads, and how reasonable they can seem when given the chance to present their case rationally.) I’d be curious to hear what others think about this.

I would say Hardin is more of a tragic villain with a grey morality background rather than anything evil; after all the of deaths and the near-genocide of his species, it’s no wonder he’s grown up tough. I’ll be able to see him as an antagonist, but never a villain.

Even after clicking that link and viewing that “Who” clip, I still see no more than a passing resemblance. The wording and, more importantly, the context are so different in the two cases, it would never have occurred to me that one might have influenced the other. And the basic concept behind those two bits of dialogue is so universal, I’m sure variations of that statement have been used many more times than in just these two instances.

Hardin continues to make his case in a page filled with a more subtle tension than that between him and Bob a few weeks ago. As always, you do a great job in panel positioning and making each one intriguing, particularly the one where Hardin’s five companions pay close attention to his word. The question has been brought up here about just what kind of antagonist Hardin is, and I have some things to say about that later.

It was cool hearing about the tattoos and what role they play in Ermehn society. Sometimes I think I learn as much about the world through the comments as through the actual comic and its official weekly descriptions.